Current and former servicemen and women from Rotherham and their families will continue to be supported.
Rotherham Council's One Town One Community provided a grant of £1,500 to Rotherham branch of SSAFA (Soldiers Sailors Airmen and Families Association) Forces. The grant will be used by SSAFA to support their ongoing work, including covering the basic expenses of volunteers, which often involves visiting people in their home to provide one to one support.
SSAFA Forces Help is a national charity which helps and supports those who serve in our Armed Forces. All SSAFA staff in Rotherham give something back to the local community on a purely voluntary basis.
Each year, they provide a caring and confidential service to more than 50,000 people nationally through a network of trained staff and volunteers. All SSAFA Forces Help staff are ex-service men and women who understand the issues they face and can provide practical support and advice, as well as signposting to other organisations that may be able to help.
Marion Richards, Secretary of SSAFA in Rotherham, said: “This is a very welcome donation and is a great help as we continue to support those most in need in our area. All of our work is on a very personal basis, working closely with service personnel and their families to help them resolve any issues and respond to their needs. As we are a purely voluntary organisation, we rely heavily on charitable donations and we are very pleased to have been awarded this grant through the One Town One Community fund.”
Cllr Mahroof Hussain, Cabinet Member for Community Development Equality and Young People’s Issues visited SSAFA’s headquarters in Rotherham at the McKay Barracks on Fitzwilliam Road in Eastwood to present the cheque. Cllr Hussain said: “It is great to be able to support so much good work that is done by SSAFA in our community. Servicemen and women carry out a dangerous, but vital role in serving our country and they and their families deserve the very best support that is available to them both during their time in the forces and after they have completed their duties.”
For anyone that would like to make a donation to SSAFA, visit the website www.ssafa.org.uk.